Laforza

Posted on by
Reply

1998 Laforza Magnum Edition

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | April 6, 2018

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Remember these? Back in the 1990s, high-end sport utility vehicles weren’t all that common. Outside of a Range Rover, your choices among Rodeo Drive-cruising super utes were pretty slim. That is unless you went Italian and bought a Laforza.

Introduced in 1985 in Italy, this SUV was sold in Europe as the Rayton-Fissore Magnum. It was based on an Iveco 4×4 that was built for the military. Designer Tom Tjaarda was responsible for prettying it up for road use. The European engines were small four-cylinders and turbo diesels.

When the Magnum was exported to the U.S. for the first time in the late 1980s, they were rebranded as the Laforza. The biggest difference was that the trucks for the U.S. got big V-8s. This example has a supercharged, 6.0-liter GM V-8, which was unique to the “Magnum Edition” which was offered only from 1999. The final trucks were built in 2003.

This Magnum Edition is one of the last five thought to have been built. It’s got 4-wheel drive and a Pininfarina-styled body. Though limited in production, these were able to be found on the lots of used exotic dealers in Florida and California 20 years ago. Now they’re just oddballs and who knows – maybe their collectibility is just starting to hit (RM has another one set for their Auburn Spring sale in May). This should bring between $15,000-$20,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $4,125.

Continental Mark II

Posted on by
Reply

1956 Continental Mark II

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 5-7, 2018

Photo – Mecum

Here is one of the loveliest American cars of all time. When it was released in 1956, it was the most expensive car sold in America. In 1956 the base price was $10,400 – the same as a Rolls-Royce and double the price of a Cadillac. And this was no Lincoln. Ford knew they were making a special car and created the Continental Division to produce this car under a separate marque.

It was so opulent that it only lasted two years, through 1957. It’s powered by a 285 horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 (the ’57s got 300 horsepower). While Mark IIs look best in white (opinion) I really love this 1950s pastel blue with wide whitewalls. The interior is the same shade of blue, mixed with white.

In beautiful condition, this Mark II was once owned by socialite Lolita Armour. It’s one of just 2,550 examples built in 1956 and one of only 2,996 built in total. They’re rare, but they’re around. Click here for more info on this one and here for more from Mecum in Houston.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $42,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Indy 2018, high bid of $35,000.

Update: Not sold, Mecum Harrisburg 2018, high bid of $40,000.

March 2018 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

Posted on by
Reply

We’re back with more from Amelia Island, this time with RM Sotheby’s. One of the Duesenberg’s we featured failed to sell, but the other one, a Hibbard & Darin-bodied example brought $995,000. Speaking of Hibbard & Darin, this previously-featured Hispano-Suiza failed to find a new home at Amelia Island this year. The top sale was $2,205,000 paid for this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

We featured a trio of Porsches from this sale, all 1993 911s. The RS 3.8 brought the biggest money: $1,655,00 followed by the RSR racing version of the same car for $1,270,000. And the RS America sold for a comparatively paltry $190,400.

On the British side, the Arnolt-Bristol sold for $401,000 and the Healey Westland $218,400. You can see all of the results from this sale here.

Motostalgia was the fourth sale at Amelia Island this year. The overall top sale was this 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that brought $260,000.

Photo – Motostalgia

A Chevy Beauville Wagon we featured a few weeks ago sold again here for $19,800. Click here for more results.

We move next to Mecum in Kansas City where it finally happened: a Demon was the top sale. In this case it was this poorly-photographed 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon (with crate!) for $130,900.

Photo – Mecum

The Tesla Roadster we featured sold for $55,000 and you can see the rest of the results here.

The first of Bonhams’ Goodwood sales was held in March. The top seller was this 1967 Aston Martin DB6 for $259,671.

Photo – Bonhams

The Attila race car we featured failed to meet its reserve, but the Amilcar sold for $95,756 and the Cannon GT brought $31,256. Click here for complete results.

And finally, a sale from Brightwells, which consisted of a bunch of cars from that giant collection Jaguar Land Rover bought a few years ago and didn’t want (because they were too ordinary or just didn’t have space for 450 cars). We featured three unusual British cars: a Rover Estoura ($13,578), Vauxhaull Velox Friary ($12,729), and a Princess 2200 ($3,111). The top sale was this 2002 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG that brought $29,136. Click here for more results.

Photo – Brightwells

Aston Martin Cygnet

Posted on by
2

2011 Aston Martin Cygnet

Offered by Leclere MDV | Avignon, France | March 25, 2018

Photo – Leclere MDV

As a fan of obscure cars from big manufacturers (even those from Aston Martin), this 2011 Aston Martin Cygnet really hits the spot. The car is essentially a fancy version of the Toyota/Scion iQ city car sold all over the world. It got the Aston grille and a nicer interior. If they haven’t already, people will completely cease to remember this car ever existed in another five years.

Probably because it was still a Toyota underneath. No silky-smooth V-12 power plant here. The engine is a puny 97 horsepower 1.3-liter straight-four. So with that in mind, the question you’re probably asking is “Why?” Well Aston Martin decided they needed to meet the 2012 European Union fleet emissions regulations and by offering a car that got 60 mpg they could continue to build other insanely powerful road cars.

It’s easy to question their strategy of re-branding a Toyota now (well, it was then too) but, as you might expect, it failed spectacularly. They planned to sell about 4,000 of these a year at a price of about $45,000. Initially they were only sold in the U.K. and at one point Aston dealers in the U.K. were giving them away if you bought a DBS, DB9, or V8 Vantage (according to the auction catalog). Over two years of production, they managed to sell just 143 of these in the U.K. (there may have been another 150-ish sold elsewhere but I can’t verify that). Having covered 34,000km, this car is still expected to bring $48,000-$62,5000, proving even un-sellable cars appreciate if they have the right badge. Click here for more info and here for the rest of this auction’s lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Venturi 260 APC

Posted on by
Reply

1991 Venturi Coupe 260 APC

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 24, 2018

Photo – Osenat

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we love Venturis! Founded in the 1980s, the first Venturi road cars went on sale in 1987. The first series of models, the Coupes, were built into 1996 (the 260 LM was the final iteration).

This is a Coupe 260 APC. It was built from 1990 through 1996 and is powered by a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 making 260 horsepower. The APC model was thus named because it is equipped with a catalytic converter. Sixty mph arrives in 5.2 seconds.

Only 70 examples of the 260 APC were built and this carries chassis #21. This car is in good shape with exterior yellow paint and a blue interior. Venturis are always cool and this car is no exception. It should bring between $43,000-$55,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $52,101.

1923 Léon Bollée

Posted on by
Reply

1923 Léon Bollée Type M Roadster

Offered by Leclere MDV | Avignon, France | March 25, 2018

Photo – Leclere MDV

The Bollée name is a very important one in the history of French automobiles. Amédée Bollée built some of the earliest steam cars beginning in 1873. Léon, his son, began building gasoline-powered cars in 1893. His Voiturettes are some of the best pre-1900 vehicles built.

And those are what people usually think of when they hear the name Bollée. But his company actually lived on for a few more decades (Léon died in 1913). In fact, in 1924, the company was purchased by Morris Motors of the U.K. as a way for Morris to break into the French market. It went just okay and production ended in 1928 and the French company closed in 1931.

This four-cylinder Type M is a four-door, five-passenger Roadster. If the entire car was restored (the interior definitely has been) it was done long ago, as the paint is showing its age. But where are you going to find another one? In the last decade, give or take, this is the first post-WWI Léon Bollée car that I can recall seeing (actually, it’s the first post-1900 Léon Bollée car that I can recall seeing). It should bring between $30,750-$37,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

La Buire Coupe

Posted on by
Reply

1910 La Buire Type 8000

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 24, 2018

Photo – Osenat

La Buire was founded in 1847 to produce chassis for rail cars. In 1900, the company joined forces with Léon Serpollet and turned to automobiles. Their first car was presented in 1904 and the marque lasted through 1930.

This “Type 8000” is a coupe with house-like windows and a very carriage-like appearance. It’s powered by a four-cylinder engine, likely displacing 3.2-liters and rated at 12 horsepower. It was the the company’s small car for 1910.

It’s an older French car with a very nice interior. It’s definitely the most interesting-looking example of a La Buire I’ve come across in the past decade. It should bring between $25,000-$37,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $64,754.

Three Cars from the Jaguar Land Rover Collection

Posted on by
Reply

Three Cars from the Jaguar Land Rover Collection

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | March 21, 2018

1974 Rover P6 3500 Estoura

Photo – Brightwells

Jaguar Land Rover bought the entire 453 car James Hull collection in 2014. Many of those cars were Jaguars, but they had a bunch of other oddballs and are selling a good number of them. We’ll show you three, starting with this Rover P6 Estoura.

The Rover P6 3500 was produced between 1968 and 1977. They’re powered by a 3.5-liter V-8 making 146 horsepower. The cars were four-door sedans and if you wanted a wagon, you had to go to an outside company. Enter FLM Panelcraft, who turned 150 P6 3500 sedans into Estoura estates. It is said that this is one of the finest of this model in existence and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $13,578.

1960 Vauxhall Velox Friary Estate

Photo – Brightwells

This looks like Britain’s idea of a big American wagon. Which it kind of is as it was built by Vauxhall, then a division of General Motors. Well, actually GM didn’t build it as the Velox PA, which was produced between 1957 and 1962, was only offered from the factory as a four-door sedan.

But estate cars were popular and if the factory wouldn’t build them, someone else would. In this case, it was Friary of Basingstoke and the result is beautiful, in a 1960s wagon kind of way. This car is powered by a 2.3-liter straight-six making 83 horsepower. This example was restored at some point.

The Queen had one – and now you can too. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $12,729

1977 Princess 2200 HL

Photo – Brightwells

Brightwells dubbed this sale “affordable classics” and that’s exactly what we have here. Princess was a marque produced by British Leyland from 1975 to 1981 (and for an extra year in New Zealand). It was not an Austin, nor a Morris (though it was produced by the Austin-Morris Division) but was a separate brand entirely.

This is a first generation Princess (of two) and it sports the larger of the two engines offered during its 1975-1978 model run. It’s a 2.2-liter straight-six making 110 horsepower. Two trims were offered, with this being the lesser of them. It’s a super 1970s car if you want a throwback to what is largely considered a sad era for British motorcars. But Princess-branded cars are getting harder to find. Click here for more info on this one.

Update: Sold $3,111.

Rover P6 Estoura

Posted on by
Reply

1974 Rover P6 3500 Estoura

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | March 21, 2018

Photo – Brightwells

Jaguar Land Rover bought the entire 453 car James Hull collection in 2014. Many of those cars were Jaguars, but they had a bunch of other oddballs and are selling a good number of them. We’ll show you three, starting with this Rover P6 Estoura.

The Rover P6 3500 was produced between 1968 and 1977. They’re powered by a 3.5-liter V-8 making 146 horsepower. The cars were four-door sedans and if you wanted a wagon, you had to go to an outside company. Enter FLM Panelcraft, who turned 150 P6 3500 sedans into Estoura estates. It is said that this is one of the finest of this model in existence and you can read more here.

Update: Sold $13,578.

Vauxhall Velox Estate

Posted on by
Reply

1960 Vauxhall Velox Friary Estate

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | March 21, 2018

Photo – Brightwells

This looks like Britain’s idea of a big American wagon. Which it kind of is as it was built by Vauxhall, then a division of General Motors. Well, actually GM didn’t build it as the Velox PA, which was produced between 1957 and 1962, was only offered from the factory as a four-door sedan.

But estate cars were popular and if the factory wouldn’t build them, someone else would. In this case, it was Friary of Basingstoke and the result is beautiful, in a 1960s wagon kind of way. This car is powered by a 2.3-liter straight-six making 83 horsepower. This example was restored at some point.

The Queen had one – and now you can too. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $12,729